Therefore, Stranger Things is not a Dungeons & Dragons game invented by Mike Wheeler. The Duffer Brothers have stated that the series is a supernatural drama that draws from the 1980s culture, horror, and fantasy storytelling, with DnD being a symbolic framework, not a narrative twist.

Find all the connections from previous seasons and 'The First Shadow' play that may help you connect the dots as you watch 'Stranger Things 5' Vol. 2

Eleven appears to sacrifice herself during the finale by choosing to remain inside the gate between Hawkins and the exploding Upside Down. However, in an 18-month time jump, Mike ( Finn Wolfhard) suggests to their friends that she tricked everyone into thinking that she was dead and was actually exploring the world.

The final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things ended on New Year’s Eve 2025, leaving viewers emotionally shattered and talking endlessly about one of the most unclear endings in television history.

As the fifth and final installment of the hit Netflix show debuted on the streamer on Wednesday, Dec. 31, fans across the globe credited Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer for the way the co-creators honored the show's roots as it came to an end.

Whether Eleven lives or dies at the end of Stranger Things is left up to viewers, but Millie Bobby Brown is giving her thoughts on El's fate.